bassell



(No Model.)

J. Y. BASSELL.

sAsH FASTENER.

No. 334,685 Patented Jan. 19, 1886.

UNITED {STATES PATENT rrrcn.

JOHN Y. BASSELL, or IJEESBURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR ro REBECOA o. BASSELL, SAME PLACE.

SASH-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,685, dated January 19, 1856.

Application filed October 8, 1885. Serial No. 179,356. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN Y. BASSELL, of Leesburg, in the county of Loudoun and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sash-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

' clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention is designed as an im provement upon that class of sash-fasteners wherein two spring projected locking dogs pivotally supported in separate housings are employed for engaging the upper and lower movable sash, with a single operatingspindle for effecting the withdrawal of either dog, and an arm or lever for actuating said spindles, and cooperating with a fixed plate or escutcheon for looking or holding the spindle in a neutral position or with either dog retracted; and thesaid invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of the escutcheon or locking-plate and its application to the spindle, whereby the former is adapted to engage and support the latter, and at the same time is rendered adj ustable with respect thereto to accommodate frames of various constructions and inner stops of different thicknesses; and the said invention consists, also, in the combination, with a system such as indi cated, of an improved form of locking-dog, which will permit of the movement of either sash in one direction to close the window without the necessity of manipulating the spindle, all as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in perspective of my improved sashfastener as applied to a window-frame, thelatter being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side view of the escutcheon or locking-plate and spindle. Fig. 3 is a side View of one of the locking-dogs, and Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating a modification of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The dogs A A, for engaging the sash, are

pivotally supported in independent housings B B, as by trunnions a, formed upon the said dogs and working in bearings b in the housings, and said dogs are pressed outward with their ends projected and in position to enter notches in the sashes, or in a strike-plate applied to the latter, by springs contained within the housings. Extending transversely through the housings B B is the operating-spindle O, which, as it is oscillated in opposite directions, alternately engages the upper and lower dog to release the corresponding sash. The connection between the spindle and dogs is preferably effected by passing the spindle through enlarged openings -a,concentric with the axis of the dogs, and forming a shoulder, a, in each of said openings, with which a feather, c, on the spindle makes contact in one direction only.

The combination and arrangement of devices as above described do not constitute material elements of the present invention, but are merely shown by way of illustration, as exhibiting one mode of applying my said invention in practice.

Instead of continuing the spindle 0 through or into the reveal, as heretofore, it terminates at apoint within theinner stop, the latter being mortised or cutaway to accommodate the arm 0, which latter is cast or otherwise secured to the inner end of the spindle, and is provided with asliding or extensible outer section, 0 for engaging the escutcheon or locking-plate D, which latter is constructed and applied as follows: The plate or escutcheonDis designed to perform three offices: first, to cover and conceal the mortise in the inner stop and inclose the arm 0; second, to afi'ord a bearing for the inner end of the spindle; and, third, to engage with movable outer section, C of the arm 0 and look or hold the spindle; and, in addition to this, said plate or escutcheon is rendered applicable to different thicknesses of stops Without interfering with its action in the other particulars mentioned. The said plate or escutcheon D is composed of a slotted face-plate, d, (preferably arc-shaped to more nearly conform to the line of movement of the arm 0 G which rests upon and is secured to the face of the inner stop, and upon the outer side of said face-plate, or that next the window-sash, is

formed or secured a dependent flange, (1', fit ting the mortise on the side of the inner stop, and provided with a slotted or furcated extension, d", which, when the mechanism is applied to the frame, projects beyond and embraces the spindle O. Asbefore described, the arm is provided with an adjustable or extensible outer section, 0 the two parts being joined, as by a screw-threaded connection, 0, and said outer section, C projects through the slot in the face-plate d, and is provided with a handle or thumb-piece, by means of which the spindle C is oscillated to effect the withdrawal of either dog, and when forced 1 into engagement with the sides orwalls of the slotted plate serves to lock or hold the spindle in position with eitherdog retracted or at the neutral point with both dogs projected. It will be observed that by this construction and arrangement of parts the bearing of the inner end of the spindle is madeintegral with the locking and covering plate or escutcheon, and is applied to the spindle near the point of attachment of the actuating lever or arm, and by virtue of the movable or extensible outer section, C and slotted or furcated bearing said plate or escutcheon is adapted to be applied to stops of different thicknesses.

It is preferable, though not essential, that the furcated or slotted bearing be made as an extension of the outer dependent flange, d, which latter is employed when the inner stop is inortised through to the edge,whereby the entire mechanism can be inserted or withdrawn without removing the inner stop.

For the purpose of securing the spindle againstlongitudinal play, it is provided with shoulders or fiangesc between which and the arm C the slotted or furcated bearing is received.

By virtue of the connection between dogs and spindle the former are at all times free to move upon the latter in a direction to disengage the sash, and they are held projected by the elastic pressure of their springs only; hence when the spindle is held or locked in the central or neutral position the springs alone control the movements of the dogs and hold them in engagement with the sash, whether the latter be open or closed.

As heretofore usually constructed, the dogs being held projected and in engagement with both the upper and lower sashes, the latter cannot be raised or lowered without first actuating the spindle to retract the corresponding dog.

As sash fasteners of this kind are mainly intended to prevent the entrance of an intruder, the provision made for locking the sash against movement in a direct-ion to close the window (except where the lower sash is not provided with a counter-balance) is not only unnecessary, but is a positive defect, as it prevents the closing of the windows from the exterior, which operation it is frequently desirable to accomplish, and offers an impediment to the expeditious closing of the windows from the interior, as upon the sudden appearance of a storm, or where a small child is called upon to close thelower sash. In order to overcome these difficulties, and at the same time preserve all the valuable qualities of the fastener such as described, 1 form upon that side of the engaging portion a of the dog nearer the pivot an inclined or beveled surface, aflwhich, as either sash is moved to close the window, will, by riding against the edge of the orifice in the sash or strike plate, cause the dog to be pressed back into its housing and against the pressure of the spring, so that the sash may be moved in one direction; but as soon as the next succeeding orifice in the sash or strike plate arrives opposite the engaging portion of the dog the latter will be again projected into it, thereby securing the sash against motion in the opposite direction until the spindle has been oscillated to withdraw the dog.

In my prior patent, No. 329,804, I have shown and described a sashfastening device wherein the two dogs provided-with lockingshoulders and inclined faces are each provided with a separate spindle and actuating mechanism, and a locking device common to both actuating mechanisms.

My present improvement in respect to the provisions for facilitating the closing of both sashes and for locking the actuating mechanism in position, as compared with what is claimed in saidpatent, consists in the employment of but a single actuating-spindle for controlling the movement of both dogs, and a singlelocking mechanism for maintaining said spindle in position to retract either dog or permit them to be held projected by their springs, whereby the mechanism as a whole is materially simplified without losing any of the advantages appertaining to the employment of the automatically-retractible dogs or bolts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In combination with the locking-dogs and their actuating-spindle, the escutcheon provided with a slotted plate or furcated bearing for the said spindle, and adapted to be applied to the inner stop, substantially as described.

2. In a sash-fastener such as described, the combination, with the movable dogs and the spindle for engaging the dogs, provided with an actuating-lever bearing an extensible section, of the slotted locking-plate co-operating with the extensible section of the actuatinglever and the furcated plate formed integral therewith, and embracing the spindle, and forming an adjustable bearing therefor, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the spindle for act uating the dogs, its arm or lever, and the shoulders or flanges on said spindle, the detachable escutcheon provided with the slotted plate or IIS furcated bearing for application to the spindle, substantially as described.

4. The combination, as herein setforth, with the spindle 0, its operating-lever G, movable section C and locking-plate D, of the independently supported locking dogs A, provided with reversed and inclined surfaces a and engaging surfaces a each of said dogs being provided with a spring, an opening to receive the spindle O, and a shoulder, a", for en- [0 gaging the feather on said spindle when the latter is oscillated in one direction, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN Y. BASSELL.

Witnesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, J ULIUs SoLGER. 

